


Unbecoming

by voodoochild



Series: Challenge on Infinite Earths [9]
Category: The Hour
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fusion, F/M, Fairy Tale Retellings, Princes & Princesses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-24
Updated: 2014-04-24
Packaged: 2018-01-20 16:26:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1517309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voodoochild/pseuds/voodoochild
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fairytale AU - the story of three princes, two perfect matches, and one angry princess.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unbecoming

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Challenge on Infinite Earths (and which I completely forgot to upload to AO3 months ago, whoops), for day 7, "fairy tales".
> 
> This is a retelling of the “loathly lady” fairytale, which is taken from two sources: The Wife of Bath’s Tale in Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales”, and the poem “The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle” in Arthurian legend. It is also found in various bits of Irish, German, and Scottish mythology - especially in the stories of Sheela-Na-Gig and the Cailleach.

The moral of the story is this: don’t judge by appearances.

The real moral of this story, though, is that you can become beautiful and learn courage, but you can’t make yourself smarter. Bravery brings you glory, beauty brings you songs, but brains bring you power, and that’s the real prize for any woman.

That, and love. But you already knew that.

***

So how do these stories begin? Once upon a time, there was a king who had three sons …

No.

Once upon a time, there was a little girl born to a foolish lord and a wise lady. Her name was Alexandra, and while she had a beautiful name, she had an ordinary face and a challenging disposition. All the townsfolk of Stormcliffe tried to tell her to cheer up, to smile, to look into mirrors and wish for beauty. Her wise mother told her “child, do not spend time looking into the glass, wishing you were something you are not”, and Alexandra said “good, I won’t bother”. 

As she grew, her father hoped she would be bold, if she could not be beautiful. And she certainly was bold, but not the kind of boldness that people love. Alexandra could see to the heart of things, speak plainly to anyone she met, no matter if they were a goat farmer or a high lord. She did not wish to become a doer of great deeds, laughed herself sick when she was told she could not do certain things because she was a lady. She rode astride horses and fought with swords, she kissed handsome boys because she was supposed to and pretty girls because she could.

All the while, her mind grew ever sharper, like a blade on a whetstone. But the townsfolk begun to fear Alexandra, for she spoke of things they believed no one could know. Oh, it was simple observation and insight for her, but for the simple folk, it was akin to witchcraft. 

And Alexandra thought, _“well, if they call me a witch, then a witch I shall be for them”._

She sought out the highest and lowest for education, learned the power of gossip as well as a good sharp knife. She learned the art of illusion and the necessity of self-preservation. She cursed and was cursed, enchanted and became enchanted, and it went on like that until her mother died and her foolish father decided she needed to marry. All her arts, all her knowledge, and she was to be sold like a calf at auction. 

Thus, she learned the cruelest lesson of all - that wisdom is nothing in the face of power.

***

One could call it a coincidence that, at the very same time that Alexandra’s foolish father decreed she should marry, the aging king was making the very same decision for his three sons.

(One could. Or one could understand that this type of thing happens all the time. Marriage. Destiny. Cruelty. However you choose to see it.)

The youngest son, Frederick, was incensed. He did not wish to marry, wished to travel the land in pursuit of villains and brigands and bring them to justice. He was noble and proud, a good boy, but his father knew he was also selfish and foolhardy in his quest.

The middle son, Hector, was eager. He was a man of great appetites, appreciative of the feminine form, the arts, culture, and wished to find a beautiful companion to share his passions. The king was saddened, for he wished his middle son were less lazy and willing to make more of himself than a rake.

The eldest son, Randall, was resigned. He was the dutiful son his father wanted, and so he would do as his father commanded. He was the wisest of the king’s sons, a man of learning and books, of travels for knowledge, not glory. The king hoped for the best match for Randall, for he would be king one day, and needed a suitable queen.

All of the requisite pageantry was displayed. Jousting, feasts, balls, each more arduous than the last. Every unmarried woman in the kingdom attended, hoping to catch the eye of one of the princes, though of course, the smarter ones knew who they had the best odds with. Girls would sneak into hunts to catch a glimpse of Frederick, wear their most daring dresses to catch Hector’s eye, attempt to dazzle Randall with their wit. Six days and nights of it, but not a single match had been made.

On the seventh day, three women arrived, and by day’s end, would change the course of the kingdom.

***

First, there was a hunt. Another one. The same one. They all blend together.

This one was different, for a young archer entered the lists. He was extremely skilled, the people whispered, possibly better than Prince Frederick himself. He claimed the best kill of the day - a large stag - and revealed himself in front of the astonished court to be Lady Isobel of the Roan Forest. Isobel was fleet of foot and attempted to run when the uproar commenced, but Prince Frederick headed her off. He knelt in front of her and pledged that he would marry this woman who could best him, who was so good to the people of the Roan Forest.

A banquet was held. Another one. A new one. A betrothal celebration for Prince Frederick and Lady Isobel. 

Prince Hector found his attention drawn by a new lady among the women, a woman from a distant land whom many of the women were jealous of. Her name was Princess Marina of the Sherbrook Sea, and she was the most beautiful woman the prince had ever seen. He was so taken with her that he brought her up to his own table, had his servants treat her as if she were his lady. Marina thought Prince Hector was very handsome, but moreover, she thought he was secretly very kind. She accepted his proposal, and the royal weddings then numbered two.

A ball was held that night, and the lord of the Stormcliffe brought his only daughter before the court. He promised all the power of his vast lands to the prince who would marry her. But he would not reveal her face, and all the court was able to see were a pair of cold blue eyes and an imperious voice. It was Alexandra’s idea, for she would not trust a man who based his judgment on looks or reputation.

"Promise me to anyone you like, Father," she said, "but do not promise the might of Stormcliffe, for they know not how to use it."

Frederick scoffed and whispered to Lady Isobel, Hector shrugged and continued debating Marina on sculpture forms. Randall raised his eyes from the scroll he’d been reading and finally spoke to a prospective wife.

"How would you use it, Lady?"

"Tell you and have you invade us the next chance you got when all three of you turn me down? Not a chance."

"That’s a misinformed answer. You’re presuming we would invade your lands, and you’re presuming we’ll turn you down."

"You will," Alexandra said, folding her arms. "Your youngest brother is infatuated with brave deeds, and while I am no craven, I will not lay down my life for any other. Your second brother would turn me down flat, for he has not looked upon my face. He would not know if the woman he married was fair, until his wedding day. And you, my dear eldest prince, are the dutiful son. You might marry me, but it would not be for anything other than obligation. If I am to be married, there must be something more. Tell me, all three of you, if I am mistaken in my assessment."

Frederick rose to his feet and approached Alexandra, for no matter how cutting her tongue, he feared no woman. He extended his hand and kissed Lady Alexandra’s gloved hand in return. 

"No, lady, you are not mistaken. I have promised my heart to my Isobel, for she is even more courageous than I."

He returned to his seat, and Hector took his place. He did not touch Alexandra, but bowed to her instead. 

"How can I argue with such candor? I cannot be something that I am not, and I do not wish a marriage to a woman less beautiful than my darling Marina."

Alexandra turned to Randall, a smirk gracing her lips under the cowl. He carefully rolled the scroll up and approached Alexandra. He seemed quieter, more still than usual, and she subjected herself to his scrutiny before sighing.

"Turn me down and get it over with, Prince Randall. It is a long journey back to Stormcliffe, and I would much rather get started while it is still light out."

"Answer me one thing," he said, reaching out and grasping her by her wrist, bare above her glove.

The court begun to murmur; Prince Randall touched and was touched by no one, ever since childhood, and for him to have reached out and laid his hand on not only a woman, but, it was rumored, a witch of such power and ill-repute that it was astonishing. Alexandra turned her cold eyes to him, and despite herself, they begun to warm.

"Which would you rather have, my lady?" he asked, "A husband who valued your counsel or your own freedom?"

"What would I gain in the choosing?"

"Your choice. If you choose me, you will be my equal, for I will have no other in my future queen. If you choose your freedom, you will be returned to Stormcliffe, and your lord father will simply have to accept your choice."

***

They say, many years hence, that _of course _Lady Alexandra chose to marry Prince Randall - so that she would become Queen Alexandra and rule all the lands of the kingdom. They also say that she had fallen in love with Prince Randall, and was simply testing his fitness as a husband. They say that Randall and Alexandra were destined for each other.__

__The truth of it is that Alexandra cared little for the particulars of the choice; she simply wanted the choice itself, and the fact that the man offering it was a good match for her wit and passion was simply good fortune._ _

__Alexandra had her power, and love soon followed. It was never all sweetness, nor was it easy, but it was her choice._ _

__That is all she ever wanted._ _


End file.
